The Government of Maharashtra's Environment and Climate Change Department on August 1, 2025, issued revised and consolidated guidelines for the immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols. These guidelines were prepared in response to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) instructions and subsequent directives from the Bombay High Court.
According to the new government order, necessary amendments have been made to the guidelines previously issued on July 21, 2025. These updated guidelines will be applicable to all festivals and celebrations held in Maharashtra until March 2026.
The order instructs all local self-government bodies to ensure the creation of an adequate number of artificial ponds for the immersion of idols up to 6 feet in height. It also encourages public committees to install smaller idols and to promote the use of a smaller, symbolic idol for immersion, or to reuse the same large idol in subsequent years. To ensure effective implementation, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, local bodies, and all other relevant authorities have been directed to conduct a widespread public awareness campaign.
